Marketing & Sales

Out of the mouths of babes—or at least 9-year-olds—can flow some pretty sage advice for CEOs and business chiefs. At least when it comes from Alina Morse, the founder of a startup company called Zollipops, which has received national acclaim for its innovative product—cavity-fighting lollipops. Here are 8 basic but timeless insights based on the Zollipops experience.

Super Bowl XLIX was remarkable for many things—the great game, the bad coaching decision, the record-high viewing audience—but the advertising successes of mid-market companies may have been the most surprising development of any.

The most talked-about IPO recently has been Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack (SHAK), opening at $21 a share before doubling. The offering has put one of New York’s most successful restaurateurs, until now best known for high-end brands such as Grammercy Tavern and Union Square Café, into the national spotlight at a time when well-known brands like McDonald’s seem uncertain.

The Super Bowl is the biggest and most expensive marketing stage in America, and by many measures, in the world. And while some big-brand regulars are backing away from the Big Game this year and its $4.5-million fee for 30 seconds of advertising during the game telecast on NBC, many other CEOs are eager to see their companies take those slots—even small companies that might seem to have no business placing such a huge bet on a half-minute of air time no matter what the venue.

Once upon a time, QVC—and other television-shopping networks—catered, seemingly, to the couch potatoes of America. Its broadcasts extolled the benefits of food choppers, cubic zirconia jewelry and the like, employing a talk-show format to entice viewers to dial in to join the conversation—and to make a purchase.

Recently, the owner of a New York hotel decided to fine wedding couples $500 of their deposit funds for each negative review posted online by any of their guests. The policy produced a firestorm of complaints and nearly 700 reviews eviscerating the hotel. The bad press only spread from there.

St. Louis and Detroit long have had a lot in common as perpetually downtrodden buckles on the Rust Belt, capitals of traditional industries (autos and food processing), and strong outposts of provincial Midwestern thinking and capabilities. Now they share something else: abandonment by their most beloved corporate citizens.

CEOs are not only responsible for guiding their organization in planning for the future, but also in anticipating it. I spend a great deal of my time helping business leaders to see the future in the larger market context beyond just their own industry. Here’s what I believe the next five years will look like in the world of selling.